Here in round 2 we have Adam Culp who's piloting Spellbooks, facing off with Nick Curtis, who's playing Evilswarm. Typically in the case of this matchup, whoever gets their plays rolling first will usually be the one coming out on top. Evilswarm, while incredibly linear, is a very solid choice against Spellbooks. Ophion prevents problematic things like Priestess and World of Prophecy from hitting the field, and Infestation Pandemic can stymie a Spellbook of Fate play. On the flip side of things, if Spellbooks land a World of Prophecy or they starting grinding out advantage with The Grand Spellbook Tower, Evilswarm can't keep up. We'll see who comes out on top in this match.

Nick Won the die roll and opened up with a hand of Evilswarm Heliotrope, Vanity's Emptiness, Tour Guide from the Underworld, Reinforcement of the Army, Book of Moon and Evilswarm Kerykeion. He activated ROTA searching Evilswarm Castor. He summoned Castor and gained an additional normal summon. Heliotrope hit the field and he overlayed the two for Evilswarm Ophion. Ophion activated effect by detaching Castor and searched out Infestation Pandemic. Nick set 3 cards to the backrow and passed turn.

Adam had a hand of Pot of Duality, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, Book of Moon, Spellbook Magician of Prophecy, Spellbook Library of the Crescent and Spellbook of Fate. He played the Crescent and revealed Spellbook of Secrets, Spellbook of the Master and The Grand Spellbook of Tower. He set them face down and Nick rolled a die to choose which one went to Adam's hand. Adam summoned the Magician and searched out the Tower. He then activated Secrets searching Master. He activated the Master revealing the Tower, and copied the Secrets, grabbing a Spellbook of Fate. He played the Tower and set 3 cards to the backrow and passed turn.

Nick drew for turn and proceeded to main phase 1. He activated Ophion's effect and Adam responded with Book of Moon targeting his Magician. Ophion resolved and fetched another Pandemic. Nick then summoned an Evilswarm Kerykeion and activated his effect, banishing Heliotrope to add back Castor. He normal summoned the Castor and proceeded to the battle phase. Kerykeion swung over the face down Magician and Adam added a Secrets off of his effect.Then Ophion and Castor punched directly for 4300. In main phase 2 Nick overlayed the Castor and Kerykeion for Number 66: Master Key Beetle. When he went to activate Key Beetle's effect, Adam responded with Phoenix Wing Wind Blast(discarding a Fate) and Key Beetle went back to the extra deck. Nick set another backrow and passed.

Adam drew for turn and during the standby phase he returned Spellbook of Fate to the bottom of the deck, drawing High Priestess of Prophecy off of the extra draw. Adam activated Secrets searching Master, normal summoned Magician and searched Spellbook of Wisdom. Then he activated Pot of Duality grabbing Spellbook of Power. He activated Power, targeting his Magician. then activated Master and revealed Wisdom to copy Power, bumping his Magician to 2500. Not enough to get over Ophion. He realized this after and simply passed turn, shaking his head.

Nick drew Castor for turn. The field stood at Adam with 1 back row, a Magician and a Tower with two cards in hand. Nick had an Ophion, 4 backrow and 3 cards in hand. He summoned Tour guide activating the effect, pulling another from the deck. He then overlayed for Leviair the Sea Dragon. Adam responded with Fate, banishing 3 for the cost. Nick chose to not respond and the Leviair was banished. Ophion swung over the Magician and Nick passed turn.

Adam drew Solemn Warning for his turn. Then activated Tower, drew a Crescent and immediately picked up his cards. Nick Curtis takes control of the game early on and we're off to game 2.

Game 2

Adam opened up game 2 with two Pot of Duality, Rivalry of the Warlords, Spellbook Magician of Prophecy, Spellbook of the Master and The Grand Spellbook Tower. He summoned the Magician attempting to activate effect and Effect Veiler came down to ruin his plans. Unphased, Adam activated Pot of Duality revealing two Spellbook of Secrets and a Mystical Space Typhoon. He added the Secrets to his hand and proceeded to activate it. He searched out Fate, activated Master revealing Fate, targeting Secrets and finally searched Spellbook Star Hall. He activated Star Hall and played Tower, putting a counter on Star Hall. He set 2 backrow and passed.

Nick had a hand of two Evilswarm Castor, Dark Hole, Mystical Space Typhoon and Mirror Force. A pretty rough opening. He blindly activated MST, hitting the facedown Spellbook of Fate. Adam responded by banishing two and flipping his Spellbook Magician of Prophecy face down. Nick activated Dark Hole, then summoned both of his Castors and Adam responded with Rivalry of the Warlords. Nick proceeded to the battle phase and struck for 3500 directly with the two Castors.

Adam drew High Priestess of Prophecy for turn and during the standby phase he returned Fate to the bottom of the deck to net another draw off the Tower. He then activated Pot of Duality and grabbed Magician. He summoned it to search Secrets, and then used Secrets to search Eternity. Eternity grabbed Master, and Master copied Secrets to search Fate. He set a card and passed.

Nick drew Maxx "C" for turn. He went to battle phase and declared an attack on Magician. Adam responded with Fate, putting Magician facedown and he searched a Secrets off of its effect. The other Castor swung directly for an additional 1750 and Nick ended his turn.

Adam drew Phoenix Wing Wind Blast for turn, then a Dimensional Fissure off of the Tower. He activated Secrets searching a Magician, then summoned the Magician to search a Spellbook of Power. He played Dimensional Fissure and then Power, targeting the Magician. He declared an attack on one of the Castors and ran into a Mirror Force. He shook his head and set a card to the backrow.

Nick drew a Castor for turn and went to the battle phase. The first Castor swung and got spun back to the top of the deck via Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. The second Castor struck directly for 1750.

Adam drew a Temperance for turn, then proceeded to draw another Temperance off of the Tower. He summoned the Temperance and set a card facedown in his field spell slot. He flipped it over and it was another Grand Spellbook Tower. He then activated Temperance effect and Nick attempted to Maxx "C' forgetting about the face-up Dimensional Fissure. World of Prophecy came out and pulled back Spellbook of Secrets and Spellbook of Power. He activated the Power targeting World and boosted him to 4800 via Power and Star Hall, which now had 9 counters. World powered over the Castor for 3050 and Adam grabbed Spellbook of Eternity. Main phase 2 he activated Eternity to grab Master, then used Master to copy Eternity, adding back Spellbook of Secrets and Adam passed turn.

Nick drew a Castor for turn, set a monster and passed back to Adam.

Adam drew MST, activated Tower and drew Solemn Warning. He summoned the other Temperance from his hand, activated Secrets and Nick immediately scooped up his cards.

A key World of Prophecy play turns the tide in Adam's favor game 2. Let's see who will walk away the victor in game 3!

Game 3

Nick started off with Compulsory Evacuation Device, 2 Tour Guide from the Underworld, Mystical Space Typhoon, Evilswarm Kerykeion and Dark Armed Dragon. Adam had Spellbook of Fate, Spellbook of Life, Spellbook of the Master, Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer and Rivalry of the Warlords.

Nick was obviously displeased with his hand. He set 2 back rows and passed. Adam drew another Rivalry for turn. He summoned Kycoo, set three and passed. End phase Nick flipped up MST and hit the Spellbook of Fate. He drew for turn and summoned Tour Guide, pulling the other one from his hand. Adam responded with Rivalry. With nothing else he could do Nick set one and passed.

Adam drew Crescent for turn and Kycoo attacked over the Tour Guide. He passed and Nick drew Imperial Iron Wall. He set a monster and passed.

Adam drew Spellbook of Power for turn. He activated it targeting the Kycoo. Kycoo attacked into a Compulsory Evacuation Device, bouncing it back to his hand. Adam summoned Kycoo in main phase 2 and passed.

Nick drew a Castor for turn. He looked at his hand for a second and passed.

Adam drew a Tower for turn, played Master revealing Crescent targeting an in graveyard Spellbook of Power. Kycoo got bumped up to 2800 and attacked over the face down Kerykeion and he searched Secrets off of Power. He activated Secrets searching Magician. Magician hit the field and searched a Spellbook of Wisdom. Adam set 2 and in the end phase Nick flipped up Imperial Iron Wall.

Nick drew a Torrential Tribute and immediately set it, and after some thought decided to pass turn.

Play was back to Adam, who drew for turn and proceeded to activate Tower, returning Master. Off of Tower's effect he drew a Dimensional Fissure. He played Secrets and searched Master. He activated Master and revealed Life, copying Secrets searching Magician. He summoned Magician and Nick flipped up Torrential Tribute. Adam responded with Spellbook of Wisdom targeting Kycoo. The 2 Magicians and Tour Guide hit the graveyard, while Kycoo survived. Kycoo hit directly for 1800. Adam set a card and passed.

Nick drew a Solemn Warning for turn. He special summoned Dark Armed Dragon and activated Safe Zone targeting his DAD. Unable to banish for DAD's effect due to his own Imperial Iron Wall, DAD hit over Kycoo for 1000 and he ended his turn.

Adam drew for turn and activated Tower drawing a SolemnWarning. He activated Secrets searching Magician. He set a monster and passed turn.

Nick drew an MST for turn. He shuffled his hand a bit and activated MST targeting his own Imperial Iron Wall. He activated DAD's effect and blew up Adam's Rivalry, then his face down Dimensional Fissure and finally Spellbook Magician of Prophecy. After checking for the darks in Nick's graveyard, Adam flipped up a second Rivalry of the Warlords during the end phase.

Time was called and Adam drew Bottomless Trap Hole for turn. He activated Tower drawing a P0t of Duality. He activated the Duality grabbing Kycoo. He summoned Kycoo, set 2 and passed.

It went to Nick and they were on turn 2 of time. DAD swung over the Kycoo for 1000 again. Nick set a monster and passed.

Adam drew World of Prophecy and activated Tower returning Secrets to draw High Priestess. He passed turn.

Nick drew Effect Veiler and they were on turn 4 of time. Realizing that he couldn't win the game due to time, he conceded.

Discussion

Ugh, I can’t believe the Spellbook player was that bad against Evilswarm. You Fate removing 3. They are FORCED to use Pandemic to protect Ophion. You chain Wind Blast and Ophion is over plus you can choose a backrow to hit with the Fate because Fate chooses the card it affects at resolution. From there he still had Book and Magician and could have gotten a Fate set up for the inevitable Key Beetle lock. He lost game one due to inexperience. Plus that double Power failing to get over Ophion thing is just a joke. Only time you are powering over Ophion is with Shining Elf. Even Temperance needs double Power and that play is risky enough.

Game 2 was won by Rivalry and game 3 was won by a combination of a bad hand, Rivalry, and time.

If this is how good most Spellbook players are no wonder there aren’t more tops with the deck.